tīná gúyáńí (Deer Road)
k’ō-dī īyínáts’īdìsh (new agency)

From the street, the two-dimensional works in the storefront exhibition k’ō-dī īyínáts’īdìsh (new agency) are provocatively bright and alluringly minimal. The vibrant orange background evokes the vernacular of a construction site, a familiar hue in Montréal where complaints about unending roadwork are common. Driving by Articule, an artist-run-centre in Mile End, one of the city’s hippest and most gentrified neighbourhoods, one is reminded of rampant displacement caused by cycles of renovation, rent hikes, and real estate speculation. Three black-and-white, geometric, house-like structures against the orange backdrop reinforce the clash between the safety of the domestic sphere and the artificial urgency of building development. A yellow dotted line suggesting a roadway cuts across the lower half of the image, announcing another threat to the serenity of the hearth.

This installation by tīná gúyáńí (Deer Road), an artist collective formed by Tsuut’ina mother and son duo Glenna Cardinal and seth cardinal dodginghorse, was presented in the throes of the second wave of COVID-19 in Québec. With galleries and museums closed by government mandate, Articule transformed their window into an interactive environment. Passers-by were greeted by a repeating audio track where a woman’s voice reflected on agency, loss of agency, and the possibilities for new agency: “loss of agency when Indian agents, government officials — municipal, provincial, and fed- eral—make decisions for you and your family […] new agency: to make decisions for you by you.” Five QR codes, imbedded in the three architectural renderings with corresponding geographic coordinates, served as portals to more content.